The Mariupol bull figurine, which is over 8,000 years old, has been added to the international list of “Ten Most Wanted Antiquities” as one of the most important stolen cultural objects in the world. The announcement was made on 5 August at an Atlantic Council event in Washington. The artefact is believed to have disappeared during the Russian siege of Mariupol in 2022.
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The figurine was carved from bone around 6000 BC. It was found in the 1930s by Ukrainian archaeologist Mykola Makarenko in a children’s grave near the Sea of Azov, on the territory of one of the oldest Neolithic settlements in Europe. Before the full-scale war, it was exhibited at the Mariupol Local History Museum. After the start of hostilities, the exhibit disappeared, and its whereabouts are currently unknown.
Recently, photos have appeared that presumably show this figurine in Russian museum exhibitions. It is used in exhibitions presenting the Azov region as a “historically Russian” region, which is causing concern among international experts about Russia’s attempts to legitimise its annexation through cultural means.
The Antiquities Coalition emphasised that adding the Mariupol figurine to the list of wanted artefacts is a signal to the international community about the urgent need to counter cultural looting. It is estimated that Ukraine has already lost at least 1.7 million museum objects as a result of Russian aggression.
Coalition leader Deborah Lahr emphasised that the theft of artefacts is part of a broader campaign to destroy Ukraine’s cultural heritage. Former US Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst added that the Kremlin is attacking the very symbols that shape the resilience of the Ukrainian nation.
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